orrery

American  

[awr-uh-ree, or-] / ˈɔr ə ri, ˈɒr- /

noun

plural

orreries

1. an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.

2. any of certain similar machines, as a planetarium.

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orrery British  

/ ˈɒrərɪ /

noun

1. a mechanical model of the solar system in which the planets can be moved at the correct relative velocities around the sun

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Etymology

Origin of orrery

First recorded in 1705–15; named after Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery (1676–1731), for whom it was first made

Example Sentences

They read popular almanacs, and learned and admired the intricacies of orreries—mechanical models of the celestial sphere—that they flocked to view at numerous colleges.

From The Wall Street Journal

A golden orrery consumed a massive table: the gilded model of the heavens detailing the locations of each Marvellian city and the Arcanum.

From Literature

Ah, so the orrery is some kind of time machine, according to Christina?

From The Guardian

The first modern orrery was built by clockmakers George Graham and Thomas Tompion in the early 1700s.

From BBC

He would put on planetarium-esque light shows for his daughters, and his studio was filled with orreries — Renaissance-era models of the solar system.

From Los Angeles Times